Mercursal regulator for dampers



(No Model.)

R. J. FLINN.

MERCURIAL REGULATOR PORDAMPRRRM.

Patented Deo. 14,1886.

INVENTUF\.

WITNEEEEE N. PETERS. Plmmnumgmplmr wnshmgm". D. C.

tltsiiTnn STATI-:s

PATENT Orrici:a

RICHARD J. FLINN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE FLINN MERCURIAL REGULATOR COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

MERCURIAL REGULATOR FOR DAMPER'S, 84C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 354.120, dated December 14, 1886.

Application filed April 17,1886. Serial No. 199,245.

To all whom, t may con/cern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD J. FLINN, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mercurial Regulators for Dampers, Valves, die., ofwhich the fol-lowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

For the maintenance or regulation at a stated or given pressure of steam in a steain-boiler by an automatic regulation of the draft of the furnace of the boiler through the closing and opening of the damper of the furnace from the action of the steam-pressure in the boiler, as well known, apparatuses of many kinds have been heretofore devised, and among them one y using a column of mercury acted upon by the steam-pressure in the boiler, and a iioat to ioat in the mercury, and to freely move up and down with its rise and fall as the same occurs from the rise and fall of the pressure of the steam in the boiler in communication theredamper to be operated from its said movements-that is, closed or opened, as the case may require-and it is to this particular kind of such apparatuses that this invention pertains, although, as will be evident from the description hereinafter given of the apparatus of this invention, said apparatus is applicable to other purposes, and as hereinafter stated. Such apparatuses in substance, and as well known, are composed of a Siphon stand-pipe, made of metal or other suitable material, and two vessels, one located at each end of and in communication with the stand-pipe. These vessels are of different supercial areas, the area of the upper being` greater .than that of the lower, and the area of each greater than the superficial area of the siphon stand-pipe connecting the two. In the upper vessel is located a float, floating in the mercury thereof and suitably connected with the damper which is to be operated by the rise and fall of said,

oat from the rise and fall of the mercury in said vessel, and the lower vessel is connected by a pipe or other suitable passage for the steam, the pressure of which is to be regulated to act upon the mercury in the lower vessel, and which is the mercury-reservoir proper,

(No model.)

and through its action thereon secure a rise o and fall ofthe float, as the case may be, and a movement of the damper in accordance therewith.

As to such apparatuses, this invention consist-s in the combination, with the tloat-chanuber and a float iloating in the mercury thereof. ofa stop or abutment to the upward movement of the iioat from the rise of the mercury in the float-chamber and a chamber or receptacle above said abutment or stop, which at all times 6o is open to the mercury of the float-chamber, and preferably is of a reduced superficial area as compared with that of the float-chamber; also, in a relative construction of the vertical sides of the float and of the mercurychamber therefor, to secure a positive guide of the float in its rise and fall and allow a movement of the mercury along and about the sides and at and over the top of the float; again, ina relative construction of the lower 7o end of the oat and of the floor of the chamber containing it and the mercury in which it floats, so that with the float at rest on the floor of the float-chamber an open communication will still he had for the movement of the mercury under the float and between it and said floor; also, in the adaptation of the float to be readily changed in weight; also, in the construction of the mercury-reservoir for an in and out adjustment of the stand-pipe, making 8o connection between it and the ioat-chamber; again, in the combination, with the apparatus, of a petcock for discharging it of its iiuid contents without escape of the mercury contained in it, and, also, of a valve located in the stand- 8 5 pipe and to be operated by the hand for closing the apparatus to the further movement ot' its contained mercury, all substantially as hereinafter described.

In the drawing forminga part of this speci- 9ov vention-as, for illustration, if it is the presssaid stop or abutment for the float.

knobs Kz may be dispensed with and commuure of steam in a boiler which is to be regulated, the pipe A-may lead either from the st eam or the water space of the boiler. The pipe enters at the upper portion of and there opens to a closed shell ory vessel, B, which is the lower of the two vessels, making, with other parts, the apparatus of this invention, and is the mercury-reservoir thereof, and hereinafter to be so called. f

-D Dl D3 is a vertical pipe-the stand-pipe of the apparatus, and hereinafter to be so called. This stand-pipe D D2 D3, as shown, is composed of three sections, an intermediate section, D, and opposite end sections, D D3. The end sections, D D3, both telescope the intermediate section, D2, which at each end is provided with a suitable stuffing-box, E, to close the joints between it and the end sections. The lower end section, D, telescopes the mercury-reservoir B, passing through a stuffingboX, F,lin the upper wall, C, thereof, and lit enters into a downwardextending tubular projection or well, B3, from the bottom or floor of the reservoir and in continuation thereof. The upper end of the upper end section, D3, is attached to the lower end of and opens to a shell or vessel, H-the upper of the two vessels ofthe apparatus of this invention, and making the iioatchamber thereof, and hereinafter to be so called.

K is a float located in the iioat-chamber H. The float K is made of metal, or other suitable material and otherwise all so as to float in the mercury contained in said iioatchamber H, as will hereinafter appear, and

from the downward movement or fall of the mercury to secure'an operation of the mechanism connected with the oat, as hereinafter described. A horizontal partition, or, as it is shown, the top H2 of the float-chamber, makes a stop or abutment to the rise of theiioat in its chamber, and beyond this stop the floatchamberhas an upward extension or chamber, H3. This extension-chamber H3 is open at all times to the mercury contained iii the floatchamber, and whether the iioat is on or off of its abutment at H3, and one construction of parts for insuring such continuous open communication, and which is shown, consists in providing the top 'of the iioat with separate raised knobs K2, so that with the float at rest against the stop or abutment therefor an open space will still be left over the top of the float for the passage of the mercury to the chamber H3, in extension of the float-chamber above its These nication had between the float-chamber and the upward extension H3 thereof by vertical passages up through the float from end to end, and these knobs may be on the inner face of the top H2 of the float chamber in lieu of on the top of the float, or on both, and still secure the same open space for the flow of the mercury.

VK3 K3 are separate knobs on the upright sides of the lioat in the float-chamber, to guide the iioat in its rise and fall in its chamber, and these knobs may be on the sides of the chamber, in lieu of on the oat, as described, or on both the sides of the oat and its chamber.

. K4t K4 are separate knobs on the bottom of the ioat, making feet, as it were, through which the float can rest on the floor or bottom of the float-chamber, as stated, or on both, and in all cases free communication is left in the fioatchamber around all of said surfaces or sides of the float for the movement of the mercury at all times.

Lis avertical rod attached to and projecting upward from the center of the top of the tloat and through the chamber H3, in extension of the float-chamber, as has been described. The

rod L, at its upper end,is connected to the lower end of a belt, chain, or other iieXible line, M, Which passes upward and about a verticallyplaced grooved pulley-wheel, N, carried by a horizontal shaft or rod, O, turning in suitable bearings, and which, for instance, may be the damper-rod of the damper to the furnace of a steam-boiler, or the stem of a steam, water, gas, or other fluid valve, and such like, but for the purposes of this specification will be assumed to be a damper-rod of the furnace to a steamboiler, and hereinafter to be so called.

The damper-rod O has a weight, Q, applied to it on the side opposite to that at Which the chain M of the oat Kenters upon its grooved pulley N'. This weight Q may be either sus pended from the opposite end of the chain M to that from which the float is suspended or from the pulley-wheel or damper-rod, and if from either the pulley-wheel or damper-rod the chain -M requires to be fastened to the pulleywheel or rod. The Weight Q is'sufticient, as the float rises in its chamber, from the rise of the mercury,releasiug the weight to action, to secure a turning of the damper-rod O and its damper and all otherwise so that a fall of the float from a fall of the mercury in the float-chamber will secure an opening of said damper, and a rise ofthe iioat from a rise of the mercury in the fioat-chamber will secure a closingof said damper.

The damper, furnace, and steam-boiler are not shown, as it is not deemed necessary, being so well known, and as they of themselves form no part of this invention.

The chamber H3, in upward extension of the fioatchamber, is always open at its upper end,

and as it is also always open to thefloat-cham- Y ber, plainly no cushioning of air or forming of a vacuuml can take place iii the float-chamber.

R is a horizontal lever or beam, at one end fulcrumed on an upright, S, of the float-chamber, and at the other end connected by and resting through a slot, R2, on a cross rest-pin, L2, of the rod L of the float, andbetween such ends notched along its upper edge for the hanging of a weight, T, therefrom. By this means the iloat is adapted to have its weight readily increased, as may be desired or practical, and the same result may be attained by providing said IOO IIS

float-rod L with a rest or support, as at L3, for weights to be separately placed thereon, one on top of another, each weight having a hole through it and aside opening leading thereto, to enable it to be so placed and removed.

By suitably marking the beam or lever Rat its separate notches, R3, and with the use ofany given weight thereon, obviously the weighting of the oat may be determined with accuracy, and the same is true with the weights which are to be applied at the rest or support L3 of the lioat-rodL, also marked for identification.

U is an earpiece projecting horizontally from one side ofthe fioatchamber Hand litting by its eye U2 upon a stationary vertical rod,W, secured by end ear-pieces, Y, to asuitable stationary and suitably-located support therefor.

,V is a set or thumb screw, screwing through the earpieces U, and which, turned up to a bearing on the rod \\7,fastens thetloat-chamber to said rod. This vertical rod XV istobe graduated along its length, and the graduations (not shown) markedas, for instance, the lower one, 60, and the others ruiming upward therefrom in regular steps of tives, 65, 70, 75, and so on to the upper graduation of the series, and all so that each graduation shall be in representation of a corresponding pressure 0f the steam, water, gas, or other duid the pressure of which is to be regulated by the use of the apparatus of this invention-and thus provide a practical and serviceable means of accurately adjusting the apparatus to the pressure of fluid desired to be maintained.

The float-chamber H, and the mercury-reservoir B, but which forms no part of this invention, preferably are of different superficial areas, the mercury-reservoir having the greater superticial area; and again, the superficial area of the stand-pipeDD2 D3, connecting the loat-cham ber H and mercury'reservoir B, is less than the superficial area of either thereof. The mercury-reservoir has a greater cubic capacity for mercury than the combined cubic capacity for mercury of the lioat-ehamber, with the float therein, and the standpi pe connecting the reservoir and chamber.

Z is a valve in the pipe A, leading to the mercury-reservoir B, and making communication with it for the fluid the pressure of which is to be regulated, and A2 is a petcock, also located in said pipe, and D4 is a valve. (Shown as located in the upper end section, D, ofthe stand-pipe D D2 DJ.)

The mercury-reservoir B is charged with the quantity of mercury necessary for the working ofthe apparatus, and which quantity must be sufficient to ill the stand-pipe D D2 D3, the doat-chamber H, with the toat therein, and the mercury reservoir, and to a 'sufficient height in the latter that the end. of the standpipe opening to the mercury-reservoir shall be at all times covered or closed by the mercury thereof. The apparatus thus charged with mercury is ready for use, and as a pertinent illustration of its use suppose it to be connected, as has been hereinbefore described, to a stea mboiler, and the damper-rod of the damper ofthe furnace ofthe boiler. In this application of theapparatus the tloatKmust be of aweight not only to tio-at in the mercury of the iioatchamber, but also as the mercury lowers in said chamber to lower with it and turn the damper-rod to openy the damper; and the apparatus as a whole. and connected. as described, obviously is to be suitably supported, the support not being shown, as it is so obvious what it should be as to require neither illustration nor description. Again, as so applied 'with an open communication between the steampressure of the steam-boiler and the mercuryreservoir, the apparatus, if not already adj usted tothe steam -pressure desired to be maintained, is to be so adjusted; and forthis adjustvment the apparatus must first be relieved of any pressure on its contained mercury by closing the valve Z and opening the petcock A?, on which, the mercury having all accumulated in the mercury-reservoir, the thumb-screw V and stuffing-boxes E E F are loosened and the parts of the stand-pipe moved upon each other or through the mercury-reservoir, or in both respects so moved until an index-mark, (not showm) suitably located on the ear-piece U of the fioat-chamber,is broughtto thegraduation of the rod W, marked in accordance with the pressure desired to be maintained in the steam-boiler, when the stuffing-boxes are to be tightened up and the thumbscrew V turned up against the graduated rod lV. Vth the,

apparatus thus adjusted, as the steam-pressure rises and lowers, acting through the mercurial column. the float rises and lowers in its chamber-in the one case turning the damperrod in a direction to close and in the other case in a direction to open the damper.

With the damper fully closed,which is when the desired steam-pressure has been reached, the Boat is at the limit of its upward movement or rise; or, in other words, it is ata rest against its stop or abutment H2, and on any further rise ol' steampressure in the boiler the oat remains stationary; but as the mercury at such times is free to flow up around the oat it passes into the upward-extending chamber Hs of the float-chamber above said stop or abutment, and which is of suitable size to contain it, the mercury, so flowing upward and prevent any overow thereof.

v The apparatus herein described may be also adjusted within given limits as to the steampressure which it is to regulate or maintainin the steam-boiler to whichit is connected, by increasing or decreasing the weight of the float, as has been described.

The intermediate section, D2, of the standpipe may be dispensed with, and the two end sections, D D3, either telescoped of themselves or made continuous, and only telescoped within the mercury-reservoir B and through a stufngbox, F, of its upper side, as described.

The telescoping of the stand-pipe and ofthe IOO mercury-reservoir and the. downward-extend# ing well B2 of the mercury-reservoir, to receive and accommodate the stand-pi pe, as also the stuffing-box F in the upper side of the mercury-reservoir for the passage of the telescoping-pipe,vare features of this invention; and as is plain in the practical use of the apparatus the mercury'of the reservoir B never comes in contact with the stufiing-box Fthereof, contact being only made therewith by the fluid the pressure of which is to be regulateda quite important advantage.

The entering of the stand-pipe into the mercury-reservoir and sinking it therein, so as always to be below the level of the mercury therein, secures a seal ofthe open end ot' the stand-pipe by the contained mercury of the mercury-reservoir, and thus a closing thereof to the entrance of the steam or other fluid in t connection with which the apparatus is arranged to act, and which, if it were allowed to enter, would, under its pressure, be forced upward through the mercury in the stand-pipe and oatchamber.

The upward and downward moving float may be connected in many ways to the damper-rod other than that particularly described-as, for

instance, by a vertical rack-bar meshing with a pinion gear-wheel on the damper-rod-and it is not intended to limit this invention in the relation of the connection of its tioat with the part to operate from its rise and fall.

The tioat-chamber and its float may be va- ,ried in length and diameter, as also the mercury-reservoir, for adaptations of the 'apparatus to special purposes, but taking care in each instance to preserve the relative super-` cial areas and cubic capacities between the tloat-chamber and mercury-reservoir, as has been described.

The apparatus as particularly described and shown is capable of adjustment to varying pressures; but this capability may be dispensed with, if so desired. Again, although the apparatus has been particularly shown and described for securing the opening and closing of a damper to the furnace of a steam-boiler as the pressure of steam in the boiler falls from or rises to the pressure desired, the same apparatus, and without substantial or material changes in the construction, arrangement, and operation of its parts, may be usefully, advan` tageously, and practically employed for other purposes-as for instance, to the .opening and closing of valves in apparatuses of various kinds using steam, air, gas, and other fluids, to the end ofmaintaining such iiuids at agiven or stated pressure-and therefore it is not intended to limit the invention in this regard. As a few illustrations of its uses above referred to may be mentioned the Valves of steam, hotair, and hot-Water heating and drying apparatuses, feed-water and air-pressure apparatuses,

safety and reducing valves, valves for regulating pressure of steam, water, or gas, and the vacuum in a vacuum-pan or in the condenser of asteaxn-engine, throughregulating the speed at the low-pressure side of the valve, and the whole arranged andadj usted so that on a rise of the pressure to the pressure desired the valve would be closed, and on a reduction of such pressure opened, and so on. By closing the valve D," of the stand-pipe D D2 Ds the damper can be held in whatever position it may thenbe, and the petcock A2 in the pipe A enables the apparatusto be relieved of the pressure in it without escape of the mercury. The valve D4 in the stand-pipe D D2 D3 is useful for holding the damper closed.

The'apparatus herein described and shown in the drawing in some respects resembles the apparatus described and shown and claimed in my applications for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial Nos. 184,319, filed November 30, 1885, andv199,244,rled April 17, 1886, and as the same fully appears on examination and comparison, and for such purpose reference is hereby had thereto. All such resemblances, separately and combined, are hereby disclaimed as forming any part of this invention, except in so far as they become a part by combination or by arrangement, andall as fully and clearly set forth in this specification and the claims thereto. f

Having thus described my invention, .I claim- 1. In combination, a mercury-reservoir, B,

a iioat-chamber, H, containing a oat, K, a

IOO

IOS v 2. A mercury-reservoir, B, and a float-chamber, H, and a float, K, relatively constructed for a guide of the float in its rise and fall in the chamber, and for a iiow of the mercury` around it, in combination with the upwardextending chamber HB, open to the fioatfchamber, and said reservoir and float each separately connected, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

3. A mercury-reservoir, B, and afloat-chamber, H, and a oat, K, relativelyconstructed for an open space between t-he bottom of the oat and the ,tloor of the chamber for the flowv of mercury under t-he float should the float be seated on said floor, and said reservoirand 5 scribed, for the purpose specified.

5. Amercury-reservoir, B, and a floatcharn ber, H, containing a float, K, and connected to and teiescoping through a stuffing-box, F, and entering into a weil, B2, of said reservoir,

ro and the reservoir and oat separately 0011-' nected, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

6. A mercury-reservoir, B, a oat-chamber, H, containing a ioat, K, a stand-pipe connecting said reservoir and float-ehannber, and a petcock, A2, and valve Z, located in the pipeconnection of the mercury-reserv0ir, with the boiler and the float separately connected, substantiaily as described, for the purpose specied.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

RICHARD J. FLINN.

Witnesses:

ALBERT W. BROWN, KATE E. BELLoWs. 

